I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a conveyor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a conveyor for tipping items, such as wheeled luggage, to a prone position onto a conveyor.
II. Description of the Relevant Art
Conveyors having a continuous belt for transporting items from a receiving point to a dispensing point are well known. Previous continuous belt conveyors disclose a continuous belt conveyor for transporting cement and other fine-grained particles. Edges of the belt are joined together to form a tubular conveyor to support the cement during transport to a discharge station.
A troughing type conveyor may be used to transport granular material, such as coal. For instance, a belt conveyor having a U-shaped trough may be equipped with vibrating troughing idler rollers to impart a steady vibration to the conveyor belt causing the coal to migrate toward the center of the belt during conveyance. These types of conveyors are not well suited for many types of items, such as boxes and luggage.
Also known are belt conveyor systems for use in airport terminals to deliver luggage to and from passengers. In such systems, the luggage is frequently carried sequentially by a number of belts. The luggage is placed on the conveyor system in an upright position by a baggage handler. However, luggage, particularly wheeled luggage, has a tendency to move out of alignment as it is being transferred from belt to belt or fall off the belt while it is being transported through the belt conveyor system. Thus, it would be advantageous to have a conveyor system which would prevent the misalignment or movement of the luggage off the belt.